


Baltimore Blackout

by jalexic



Category: All Time Low, Pierce the Veil, Sleeping With Sirens
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, a day in the life, chef!jack, chef!vic, waiter!alex, waiter!kellin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2015-06-05
Packaged: 2018-04-03 00:09:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4079140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jalexic/pseuds/jalexic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A lot of stress comes along with working at a restaurant. It's a good thing Alex has his friends and his boyfriend there to help him out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baltimore Blackout

**Author's Note:**

> so i was watching the great british bake off with my mum when i thought "restaurant au!!! with gay couples!!1" and then this happened

One of the underrated features of working in  a restaurant is the sweat. Seriously, after three years of being head waiter at _Baltimore Blackout_ , I've discovered sweat in places where sweat should not be. Although it's not unexpected. Being a waiter in a busy four-star involves a lot of running around, a lot of yelling, and a lot of stress. I loved it.

Even though the anxiety leading up to it might not be that enjoyable, seeing a customer's face of delight as they bite into the meal that I delivered to them was totally worth it. And the relief of relaxing after a long day was incomparable. Especially when I was with my friends.

Kellin Quinn is my right hand man and I don't know what I would do without him by my side, correcting orders that I mess up and directing me to the right tables. He's a life saver, and I know there were so many times where he stopped me from making a complete fool of myself.

Then there's the kitchen staff, including the two head chefs, Jack and Vic. Vic is an amazing cook, and he's incredibly fast. He can whip up something in less than five minutes that will make my mouth water and my head spin. His specialty is desserts, and he's given the restaurant a name for having the best choc-fudge brownies in all of Baltimore. He's also dating Kellin, and they have a good thing going on, showing affection without disrupting the workflow. Sometimes I'll see Kellin writing 'love you' at the bottom of an order before sending it to the kitchen, and when I walk past I can see Vic cooking with a smile on his face.

Even though Vic and Jack are technically at the same level, with both of them being head chef, Jack is no doubt the boss. He was the one that started the restaurant, and there's no doubt about his talent. Jack is a genius in the kitchen, and while he might not possess Vic's speed, he could make pretty much anything once he set his mind to it. He was unbelievable, and I'm so incredibly happy to be dating him. We've been going out since high school, and there's no doubt in my mind that he's the love of my life. Not a day goes by where we don't see each other, considering we live in the same apartment and work at the same restaurant, and while some people might think we get sick of each other, I wouldn't have it any other way.

A good thing about Jack and I working together is that we both understand the stress that comes along with our job, and we won't judge each other for being a little bit grumpy after a harrowing twelve hour shift. It works out pretty well, and I'm happy.

But of course, when there are ups there are also downs, and I was experiencing one of them right now, in the form of an unhappy customer.

“Is this a mushroom in my pasta?”

I try not to roll my eyes and make a snide comment at the overweight woman sitting at the table in front of me. _You mean in the mushroom pasta you ordered?_ “Yes, those are fresh sliced white mushrooms,” I reply instead, a polite smile on my face.

The woman curls her lip in disgust. “This is outrageous! I’m allergic to mushrooms!”

I resist the urge to strangle her. _Well then maybe you shouldn’t order the fucking mushroom pasta._ “I’m sorry, we were unaware of that. I can take it back for you, if you’d like?”

She rolls her eyes and sighs heavily. “No, that’s alright. I’ll just deal with it.”

 _I hope you choke and die._ My smile is stiff as I nod and turn away, walking briskly in the direction of the kitchen. On the way, I cross paths with Kellin, and I take a minute to warn him.

“Bitch at table three,” I say, nodding my head in the direction of the woman who is now picking at the pasta with her fork.

Kellin rolls his eyes sympathetically. “Tell me about it. When I gave her the seafood entree, she said she didn’t like fish.”

“Damn. I can’t wait until she orders a sundae and says she’s lactose intolerant,” I muse, the image playing out in my head.

Kellin lets out a little chuckle, and then he picks up a tray and heads off into the fray of waiters and tables. I continue on my route to the kitchen, handing over my orders and looking at the chaos inside. There’s steam and smoke and what seems like a million people in stained white uniforms running around. It’s a mess, but after working in these conditions for so long, I know that even though it looks unorganised, it’s actually the opposite. Everyone in there has a job and a purpose, they all know what they’re doing, and they’re all good at it.

Just when I’m about to take some dishes and distribute them, I catch sight of Jack, standing over a flaming pan, his sleeves rolled up and his hair a mess. I can’t help but stare at him in his element, completely in control and confident, and my heart flutters as he looks up and meets my eyes, sending me a smile. I return the gesture, and I almost melt when I see him mouth the words ‘I love you’ to me and only me. I can’t hear him over the mayhem in the kitchen, but I read his lips perfectly and blow him a kiss before getting back to work.

\-----

Throughout the day, the bitch at table three complains three more times, somehow thinking I would believe her when she told me she was allergic to the minerals in mineral water. Why she would even order it in the first place, I have no idea, but it’s not like I could ignore her, so I had to keep going back. I did vent my anger to Kellin though, complaining to him in the few seconds we had in between orders, usually leading to him laughing and wishing me luck. He also found the time to tell me about the ‘blonde little spoiled brat’ who kept on screaming about anything and everything.

“Seriously, she ordered a fucking vanilla sundae, and when I gave her one, she cried because she apparently wanted chocolate! How the fuck was I supposed to know? And then her dad got pissed at me for messing it up,” Kellin says exasperatedly, rolling his eyes. I let out a little chuckle, patting him on the shoulder.

“Damn, that sucks. She’s gonna be a real angel when she grows up,” I say, and Kellin looks appalled at the thought.

“God, I feel sorry anyone who’s cursed with meeting her,” he says, and I laugh before grabbing tray and heading off. I pass by a wet floor sign, and I grimace at the memory of the new busboy who had dropped an almost full milkshake. The people at the table near him had criticized him, and I had been so close to kicking them out. He was a good kid, and had apologised profusely, offering to mop it up and even stay back late just to make up for it. I had assured him it was fine, and that everyone made at least one mistake, especially on their first day.

That was me once, at my high school job at a KFC when I spilled a bucket of fried chicken over someone within my first hour. It had been incredibly embarrassing, and my manager had yelled at me in front of everyone, making me apologise to the customer and almost leaving me in tears. He was a major douche, and I still resented him for it, all these years later. That’s why I tried to be nice to the other waiters, especially the more inexperienced ones, because I know what it’s like, I’ve been in their shoes before.

My dream wasn’t always to work at a successful restaurant with my friends around me, but now that I was living it, I couldn’t be happier. It was honestly incredibly fun, albeit stressful and annoying at times, considering the long hours and sometimes idiotic customers who don’t understand how stupid they are. But when you overlook all of that, it’s worth it, and the best part of my day by far is after we close, with everyone else gone. It’s like the deep exhale after the bated breath of a long day, and it’s what I look forward to most.

\-----

It’s dark outside and the streets are mostly empty by the time we call it a day. All of the other workers have gone home, and it’s only Kellin, Vic, Jack and me left, tucking in chairs and sweeping the floors, packing it all up in a routine we have perfected over the years. I’m busy scrubbing down a table when I glance up and see Vic walk up behind Kellin, who’s busy straightening a table cloth. Vic wraps his arms around his boyfriend, hugging him tightly, and Kellin jumps a bit, startled, before he relaxes, smiling and interlocking his fingers with his boyfriend’s. I can’t help but smile at what I see, before returning to cleaning and letting them have their moment.

When I finish, I head into the kitchen to wash my hands and my eyes land on Jack, standing at the sink and drying off some dishes he had just washed. I smile fondly at the sight of him, walking up to him and leaning against the counter.

“Hey there,” I say, crossing my arms in front of me, pulling the sleeves of my sweater over my hands. He turns to me, smiling before grabbing my hands in his and tugging me forward. He leans down and nudges his nose against mine, and I can feel his breath on my skin when he connects our lips, kissing me slowly. It only lasts for a few seconds before I pull away, nibbling on his bottom lip slightly and resting our foreheads together. He moves his hands to my waist while I clutch the front of his shirt, and we simply stare at each other for a little bit.

“I love you,” Jack whispers, breaking the silence. I grin, and my skin tingles just like it does every time he says those words.

“I love you, too,” I reply, biting my lip before kissing him again, this time licking along his bottom lip and slipping my tongue into his mouth. He kisses me hard, caressing my tongue with his own, and I my fingers play with the soft hair at the base of his neck. We only stop when we hear a wolf whistle from the kitchen entrance. I pull away to see Vic flashing us with his signature toothy grin.

“Hey guys, keep it PG, okay?” He chuckles as Jack flips him off, pulling me to his chest. 

“What do you want?” Jack asks, running his fingers through my hair, and I sigh and let my eyes slip closed, breathing deeply, inhaling the scent of his cologne that had almost completely worn off throughout the day.

“Just letting you know that me and Kels are heading home,” Vic replies, and I assume that Jack nods because the next thing I hear is footsteps walking away and Jack and I are once again alone. I can faintly hear voices from the direction of the restaurant, and then the front door opens and closes as Vic and Kellin leave. Jack continues to hold me, and we stay in that position for a few more minutes, simply enjoying each other’s company like we didn’t have a chance to do all day, relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet, before he pulls back, looking at me.

“Let’s go home, okay?” He mumbles, and I nod tiredly, looking up at him with a small smile. He returns it, gazing at me with adoration, and then he tugs me along with him, turning the lights off on the way out.


End file.
